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Verbs-Tenses and Uses

Verbs either show action or a state of being in the past, the present, or the future tense. Verbs may also refer to events or being that might (not) have happened if something else had (not) happened.
Read, rest, lie, enjoy, hold (book)
Verbs explain what is happening and when, depending upon their tense. "State of being" verbs link nouns and their descriptions.
Play, create, crouch, reach, stretch
Some verbs create more response in the reader than others. Stronger verbs often replace weaker verbs which need adverbs. The tense of the verb is also important.
Surf, roll, stand, swim, fall, roar, curl

Verbs are about doing or being.

Verbs have two forms (“to”+verb and verb+”-ing”) as well as several tenses (past, present, future, and conditional).

An infinitive has no tense. It is not present or past or future.

With “to,” it cannot serve as the primary verb of a clause but often follows the main verb.

Example

  • I love to eat ice cream.
    • (main verb = “love,” infinitive = “to eat”)

An Infinitive may be a subject or follow a linking verb.

  • To sleep is to dream.
    • (subject = “to sleep” [infinitive],)
    • (linking verb = “is,”)
    • (what follows = “to dream” [infinitive])

It does not indicate any tense. That is the job of the primary verb.

Examples:

  • to walk
    • Sara wants to walk a mile every day.
    • (primary verb = “wants,” infinitive = “to walk”)
  • to bake
    • In school, my twins are learning how to bake a cake.
    • (primary verb = “are learning,” infinitive = “to bake”)
  • to use
    • Grandpa plans to use his home office for a weight room after he retires.
    • (primary verb = “plans,” infinitive = “to use”)
  • to lift
    • Grandma thinks that he is too old to lift weights.
    • (verb in first clause = “thinks,” primary verb in second clause = “is,” infinitive = “to lift”)
  • to explain
    • She refuses to explain what she means by “too old.”
    • (primary verb = “refuses,” infinitive = “to explain”)

However, an infinitive can be a subject or an object.

Examples:

  • To swim in the Olympics was her greatest desire.
    • Subject = “To swim”
  • She wanted to swim in the Olympics.
    • “to swim” is the direct object of the verb, “wanted.”
  • To write a good book takes time and talent.
    • Subject = “To write”
  • For many months, he tried to write a good book.
    • “to write” is the direct object of the verb, “tried.”

A split infinitive has a word between the “to” and the main verb.

In earlier years, splitting an infinitive with another word (often an adverb or an adverbial phrase) was considered a grammar crime. Now, however, the Chicago Manual of Style considers it “a legitimate form of expression and nothing writers or editors need feel uneasy about” (14th edition, 2.98n).

Legal examples:

  • The boys sat at the table to happily eat the banana cream pie.
    • (Infinitive = “to eat,” splitting adverb = “happily”)
  • Mary pushed out her boat to merrily row it upstream.
    • (Infinitive = “to row,” splitting adverb = “merrily”)
  • The instructor wanted to find a way for his students to unwittingly learn the material.
    • (Infinitive = “to learn,” splitting adverb = “unwittingly”)

The present participle can relate events in the present or in the past.

Examples:

  • My mother is reading at the beach.
  • Her grandchildren are playing volleyball in the sand.
  • Yesterday they were bouncing the ball in the backyard.
  • I was trying to study for my exams.

The present participle can describe nouns.

Examples of present participle as an adjective:

  • The coming tide will destroy our sand castle.
    • (“coming” = adjective describing “tide”)
  • The raging storm flattened everything in its path.
    • (“raging = adjective describing “storm”)
  • The smiling man cheered up the others.
    • (“smiling” = adjective describing “man”)

The gerund uses the form of the present participle (“‑ing”) as a noun (subject or object).

As a verb, it may take a direct object or be modified by an adverb. When functioning as a noun, it takes on the roles of a noun. However, it cannot be modified by an adjective before it.

A gerund has neither tense (present, past, future, or conditional) nor plural form.

Examples:

  • Swimming is good exercise.
    • (“Swimming” = gerund as noun, subject)
  • I love swimming in the ocean.
    • (“Swimming” = gerund as noun, direct object)
  • Walking your dog is good exercise for you and the dog.
    • (“Walking” = gerund noun as subject, “dog” = direct object)
  • Children today are guilty of wanting more than they have (or has that always been true?).
    • (“wanting” = gerund as noun as object of preposition)
  • My cat has been accused of sleeping on the pillow of my bed.)
    • (“sleeping” = gerung as noun as object of preposition)

First, to explain: a compound noun uses a noun to describe another noun.

  • The tornado leveled the brick house.
    • (A brick house is a house made out of bricks.)
    • (“brick” is a noun, not an adjective)
  • In the winter, she always wore wool shorts.
    • (Wool shorts are made out of wool.)
    • (“wool” is a noun, not an adjective)

A gerund can also form a compound noun.

  • My daughter took riding lessons on her very own horse.
    • (The lessons were not riding. “riding lessons” is a compound noun.)
  • When he went running, he wore a jogging suit.
    • (The suit was not jogging. “jogging suit” is a compound noun.)
  • We spotted a bear in our swimming pool!
    • (The pool was not swimming. “swimming pool” is a compound noun.)

Action or being may occur in the past (what has been), in the present (what is being), in the future (what will be), or conditional (what might be/have been IF).

(Click on each tense flavor for more detailed explanations.)

simple tense (present, past, future)

     present

     past

     future

progressive or continuous tense (present, past, future)

      present

     past

     future

perfect tense (present, past, future)

     present

     past

     future

perfect progressive tense (present, past, future)

     present

     past

     future

“IF” statements (conditional)

Verbs in the other tenses use helping verbs to determine the tense.

  • Progressive (continuous) + present participle
    • am/is/are + “-ing,” was/were + “-ing”
  • Perfect + past participle
    • has/have + “-ed,” had + “-ed”
  • Perfect progressive + present participle
    • has/have been + “-ing,” had been + “-ed”

More about Verbs

Families of Irregular Verbs

Words sharing a common root (present tense) usually form their past and past participles the same way. Examples of families based on root word: present >> simple past >> past participle do >> did >> done undo >> undid >> undone redo >> redid >> redone take >> took >> taken retake >> retook >> […]

Future Tense

The future looks ahead in time to events that have not yet happened. You may also find these helpful: Regular Past Tense Present Tense Third Person Singular Present Tense Irregular Past Tense

Helping Verbs

Helping or auxiliary verbs are used for tense as well as for permission, ability, or necessity. English verbs use helping verbs (auxiliary verbs) for degrees of necessity; permission, possibility, ability; habitual past action; or willingness or intention. Necessity, obligation, advice Shall Must Have to Need to Ought to Should Supposed to Permission, possibility, ability May […]

Irregular Past Tense

Past tense verbs refer to what has already happened. Many of them have irregular forms. This post contains more than 180 verbs with an irregular past tense, an irregular past participle, or both. Have I mentioned that English is a very complicated language? You may also view the list divided into families of irregularities, which […]

Present Tense

Verbs in the Now Verbs in the present tense are mostly regular, since the “name” of the verb is its present tense form. (The exception is the verb “to be,” which, in the present tense, uses different words.) You may also find these helpful: Third Person Singular Present Tense Future Tense Regular Past Tense Irregular […]

Probability vs. Generalization

The probability of the desired result determines the tense used. A generalization is a statement that intends to cover all situations. Conditional Generalizations Credit: Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash, Photo by Greg Razozy on Unsplash. You may also find these helpful: Future Tense Regular Past Tense Present Tense Verbs-Tenses and Uses

Regular Past Tense

Regular past tense verbs all follow the same pattern to refer to actions already accomplished. Simple Past tense regular forms As should be expected, English has many irregular forms in the past tense. Credit: Photo by Tara Evans on Unsplash You may also find these helpful: Future Tense Present Tense Irregular Past Tense Third Person Singular Present Tense

Third Person Singular Present Tense

Third person singular refers to one person or thing (“he,” “she,” or “it”) English identifies a verb by its present tense form (sometimes adding “to,” making the infinitive). Examples: “do” (present) becomes “to do” (infinitive) “eat” (present) becomes “to eat” (infinitive) “come” (present) becomes “to come” (infinitive) Same verb forms for “I” = “you” (singular) […]

Credits: Photo by Dan Dumitriu, Photo by Dragos Gontariu, Photo by Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash


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